Boop-Oop-a-Doop
This article is about the catchphrase. For the animated short, see Boop-Oop-a-Doop. Boop-Oop-a-Doop ---- ---- "Boop-Oop-a-Doop" is Betty Boop's trademark catchphrase and scat sound, which was originally made popular by Helen Kane in the 1920s. Kane claimed to be the originator of the unique ad-libs, and attempted to sue Fleischer Studios and Paramount, who she had previously worked for, but she actually took her style from another, meaning she was not the first person to "Boop" in show business. According to a 1932 newspaper article the secret to the origin of scat singing lied in Harlem, and scouts were sent to African-American cabarets for data. The testimony given during the trial was, for the most part in two-fourths time and very syncopated. The defense presented a galaxy of talented performers to show that long before Miss Kane made her debut as a singer of "baby" songs the practice of singing in the baby singing style and interpolating songs with meaningless sounds was quite common, making Kane's "baby-talk" singing style and "scat singing" both unoriginal and not unique. As in the court documents it is also stated that Kane tried to lay claim to the origination of the interjection of scat sounds into songs. Kane tried to take credit for inventing the scat genre but it came out in court that she was not the original. Had Helen Kane not had sued the Fleischer Studios and Paramount Pictures a company she used to work for, her secret appropriation would have stayed a secret and she never would have been outed as unoriginal. Today in history it is a known fact that Helen Kane took inspiration from various African-American performers (the main being Baby Esther Jones), making the origin of the "Boop-Oop-a-Doop" scat sound have somewhat African-American roots. When African-American scat singer Cab Calloway was alive, he agreed that animated Fleischer Studios character Betty Boop was his female counterpart. When "Boop-Oop-a-Doop" is expanded into scatting, it's usually "Boopy-Doopy-Doopy-Doop-Boop-Oopy-Doo" (sometimes the "p" is silent), with a "Bop" to finish it up. ---- Also Known As *Boop-Boop-a-Doop *Boop-Boop-e-Doop *Boop-Oop-e-Doo *Boop-Boop-Be-Doop *Boop-Boop-Ba-Doop *Boop-Oopy-Doop *Poop-Poop-a-Doop *Poop-Poopy-Doop *Poop-Poopy-Doo *Poop-Oop-a-Doo *Poo Poo Padoo *Boo Boo Badoo *Boo-Pooh-Pa-Doo *Papa-Pa-Dap *Baba-Ba-Dap *Bop-Bop-a-Dop *Bup-Bup-a-Dup *Bap-Bap-a-Dap *Boop-Poop-Puh-Doop *Boop-Boopa-Doop *Poop Poop Padoop Differences Between Boops Betty's "Boops" would differ depending on the actress portraying her. Marjorie Hines the original voice of Betty Boop would often "Boop-Oop-a-Doop". Mae Questel would "Boop-Boop-Be-Doop" and Bonnie Poe would sometimes "Poop-Poop-Pe-Doop". Most of the time the other voices of Betty Boop would use "Boop-Oop-a-Doop" but Questel wanted her Boops differ to the other actresses and would often incorporate her own style, mainly to differ to Helen Kane (as Questel originally started out as a Helen Kane impersonator and Kane gave Questel her start in show business). Kane originally would "Poop-Poop-Padoop" which she later changed to "Boop-Boop-a-Doop". "Boop-Oop-a-Doop" is based on Kane's version of "Boop-Boop-a-Doop" removing the "B" from the second verse. During the 50s Kane made a comeback and started recording new music, but in her new recordings she started to sound more like Betty Boop, the animated character who she once found to be most repugnant. Other Boop-Oop-a-Doopers The unique scat lyrics have a long controversy behind them. Many people have used similar or claim to be the originator of the phrase Boop-Oop-a-Doop. Today, "Boop-Oop-a-Doop" and the word "Boop" are official Betty Boop trademarks and cannot be used by others, even though the Boop from Betty's name was originally created and made popular by others as it was the exclamation point of the roaring twenties. People can use Boop to scat sing only they cannot use the name "Betty Boop" on merchandise as it is copyrighted, something singer Betty Boo learned the hard way when she attempted to use the name "Betty Boop" in her act in the 1980s. According to vast research, African-Americans originated the scat singing style and it was adapted by others. Scat singing in general is most associated with jazz, a genre of music that also originated in African-American communities in the United States, which also like scat singing was appropriated and became very popular among pretty much everyone who lived in that decade. According to a 1852 article on African-Americans, it was quoted that it was often for them to sing old-time hymns and tunes with unction and that "Boop-De-Dooden-Do" was often in the chorus. According to white Americans of the 1800s, their singing had no counterpart or competition in the white race and that it wouldn't be the music of the future. Although, several decades later, things of course changed and then everybody wanted to emulate African-Americans' singing style. Gertrude Saunders: Gertrude Saunders stated that she had first used the scat singing style in 1921 in the musical Shuffle Along, Saunders was given tribute in 1938-1939 as originator of "Boop-Boop-a-Doop" and was celebrated as the originator in African-American newspapers up until 1950. In the musical Shuffle Along, Saunders successor was Florence Mills. Mae Barnes: Mae Barnes born Edith Mae Stith, has been cited as "Boop-Boop-a-Dooping" a lot of "Boops" long before Helen Kane ever heard of Boop. Chic Kennedy: Chic Kennedy a Broadway performer claimed in 1931, that she was the one true originator of "Poop-Poop-a-Doop" and that Helen Sugar Kane who had shared the same bill with her in 1928, had taken credit for her idea when she was taken ill. Lil' Esther: Baby Esther Lee Jones dauhter of William Jones and Gertrude Jones was an African-American child performer who used to sing and dance in her act. When she scat sung she would interpolate "Boo-Boo-Boo," "Doo-Doo-Doo," "Wha-Da-Da," "Do-Ho-De-Wa-Da-De-Da," "Boo-Did-Do-Doo," "Lo-Di-De-Do," and would finish off her routine with a "De-Do" in cabaret shows in the 1920s in Harlem. Including Atlantic City, New Jersey and all over America. It came out in court that Helen Kane had watched Esther perform in 1928 at the Everglades Club with her then manager Tony Shayne. Apart from being manager for Kane, Tony was also manager for Esther in 1928, which came out in the court documents when Esther's ex-manager Russian-American Lou Bolton testified for the defence. Footage of Esther was used in court to confirm that Kane was not the first person to utter the famous scat lyrics. However, due to being African-American, Esther never got the recognition she deserved and was dubbed an imitator when she was actively scat singing, as back then black people did not get full credit for their creations and originations. It came out that Baby Esther had actually based her singing and dancing style on Florence Mills who in turn was Gertrude Saunders replacement in the musical Shuffle Along. Other known Florence Mills impersonators also used to dance and scat sing, Baby Cox was one of them. When the trial took place, Esther did not attend. Her ex-manager Bolton had claimed that she was still in Paris, when in reality Esther had returned to America in 1933 and became a singer and dancer for Cab Calloway and his Orchestra. In 1934, Esther toured the vaudeville circuit and was dubbed Little Esther the Sepia Dancing Doll. Baby Esther was active from 1923-1934 and had toured the world in 1929 when she won a European contact. Esther Jones visited France, Spain, Germany, Sweden, England and Brazil where she proved to be a hit sensation. She was also active in Canada and South America. In France she was compared to Josephine Baker, who she had also met in person at the Casino de Paris. Footage of Jones performing in her unique scat singing style is lost to time, including all of her other European on screen appearances, including her Foxtone and MGM Movietone appearances. Edith Griffith: During the suit against Kane, a man claimed that a singer by the name of Edith Griffith had "Booped" in 1927. Helen Kane: Helen Kane became known as "The Original Boop-Boop-a-Doop Girl" due to her fame, and everyone wanting to be like her in the 1920s-1930s. Kane made "Boop-Boop-a-Doop" famous after she interpolated the scat lyrics into a performance of "I Wanna Be Loved By You" in the show Good Boy, and became famous overnight. Originally, Kane's scat lyrics were "Da-Da-Da" and "Bu-Du-Da-Do", which sound somewhat similar to that of Baby Esther Jones and Clarence Williams interpolations. Listen to Kane's first recording "That's My Weakness Now" for comparison. According to information, Kane adapted the scat lyrics she had heard Baby Esther utter in her cabaret act. Originally, Kane adapted the scat lyrics to Poop (Poop Poop Padoop) but the media did not understand, they thought she was saying Boop, and she changed the scat lyrics accordingly. Listen to her earlier recordings from 1928-1929 for a comparison. When Betty Boop debuted in Dizzy Dishes, she used a variety of Poops and Boops. Kane's popularity came with a multitude of imitators, girls who wanted to be just like her. From 1928 to 1930, she decided to hold look-and-sound-alike contests to find her own double. Many girls entered and won, most notably Margie Hines and Mae Questel and Bonnie Poe. Other imitators included, Kate Wright the Mystery Girl and Claire Bart. Other scat lyrics Kane used in her recordings were "Bup-Bup-a-Dup" and "Bop-Bop-a-Dop", sometimes adding in the word "Lup". After she lost against the Fleischers in court, she continued to "Boop-a-Doop" for a shortwhile then later refused to utter the words "Boop-Boop-a-Doop", then later quit showbiz in 1935 due to the death of her mother and a personal breakdown. Helen Kane returned in the 1950s, when Betty Boop had been long retired, and became known as the Queen of Boop-Boop-a-Doop, up until she died in 1966, upon which she would be mistaken for Betty Boop's original voice. Clarence Williams: Clarence Williams was an African-American composer and songwriter. During the Helen Kane suit, he claimed he had invented the word Boop in 1915, claiming they were 'Hot Licks' with scat lyrics such as "What-Da-De-Da" with an occasional Boop thrown in. Margie Hines the voice of Betty Boop also called her "Boops"- 'licks'. Williams' wife Eva Taylor, was also featured in the musical Shuffle Along. Felix Mayol: The first person to utter similar syllables was Felix Mayol, who had used the scat lyrics "Bou-Doo-Da-Ba-Boo" in his 1913 recording "Bou Dou Ba Boum". This was brought up in Helen Kane's $250,000 suit, where the latter was asked if she had heard the song. Kane denied that she had. Little Ann Little: Ann Little Rothschild one of the several original voices of Betty Boop claimed that Betty Boop's, "Boop" technique was originally "Ba-Da-Inde-Do", which later developed into "Bo-Do-De-O-Do" and finally to "Boop-Oop-a-Doop". She stated that in 1925 she was the baby of the Greenwich Village Follies and sang cute baby songs and did breaks at the end of the bars of music. These "breaks," included the sounds "Wha-Da-De-Dah," (similar to Clarence Williams claim and Baby Esther's scat sounds), "Bo-Vo-Deo-Do" and even "Ba-Da-Daten-Doop". After winning the lawsuit against Helen Kane, Ann would state that she sang "Boop-Boop-a-Doop" before Helen Kane was known. Ann also considered herself the "original" Betty Boop and later lashed out at Mae Questel the most famous voice of Betty Boop. Ann also claimed that she was the original scat singer and had scat sung and baby sung long before the Kane era. Other Artists: Other artists who used similar methods of adding scat singing in songs were: Cab Calloway with "Hi-De-Ho" and "Hi-De-Hi". Bing Crosby with "Boo-Boo-Boo". Jimmy Durante with "Ha-Cha-Cha". Another would be "Vo-Do-Do-De-O", a scat lyric which was first used in 1926 by Irving Aaronson and the Victor Commanders. Trivia *The Boop style was en vogue in the 1920s, but by the late 1930s it was classed as silly. One article claimed that there were too many Boop-Boop-a-Doop Singers, and women should use their natural voices. *Mae Questel created the "Bop" to finish up Betty Boop's scat routine. *The Boop style went well with Betty Boop, as she was an animated cartoon character. And her name Betty together with Boop made her iconic, as it rhymed. When asked what she does, she explains that "she Boop-Boop-a-Doops". *The Boop style was paid tribute to in the 1950s and is referenced many media from 1929 to the present day. *Today, the scat lyric is most associated with Betty Boop, who is dubbed the Queen of Cartoons. *Boop Boop a Doop is also a fixture of flapper culture and the roaring 20s. *Boop Oop a Doop can also mean I love you, with the hidden context of being more risqué. *According to a 1931 article, before Booping the most popular sound was "Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay" and like Boop-ing the origin of the meaningless sound was originally originated by a black performer by the name of Mama Lou in the 1880s, who first performed the song in a well-known St. Louis brothel run by "Babe" Connors. The song was later adapted and made famous by others, such as Lottie Collins who later performed the song in London in 1892. See Also *Scat singing *Baby-talk ---- Category:Article stubs Category:Trivia Category:Featured Category:Boop-Oop-a-Doop Category:Boop-Boop-a-Doop Category:Boop-Boop-Be-Doop